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Joe Rothwell previously worked with Russell Martin at Southampton Joe Rothwell says the chance to reunite with Russell Martin was a key factor in his decision to join Rangers. The 30-year-old midfielder has signed a three-year deal at Ibrox after leaving Bournemouth. He will link up once again with new Rangers manager Martin, who he played under as part of the Southampton side who achieved promotion to the English Premier League in 2024. Rothwell achieved similar success while on loan at Leeds United last season, and he explained having turned down Rangers once to join Bournemouth in 2022, he was not going to pass up the opportunity again. "Just before I signed for Bournemouth [from Blackburn Rovers], it was kind of a toss-up between the two, " Rothwell said. "Obviously, I decided to go to Bournemouth at the time, but I'm thankful that the offer came back around this time and I jumped straight at it. " Rangers sign Bournemouth's Rothwell and Peterborough's Fernandez From Vardy to Hagi - Scottish Premiership free agent options? Rothwell was aware of interest from Ibrox earlier in the summer, but says Martin's man-management skills and tactical nous were what persuaded him to head north of the border. "Yeah, obviously there was a little bit of interest there before the manager got the job, but as soon as I found out that he was getting it, he gave me a phone call and I was like, yeah, I'll be straight there, " Rothwell added. "He just sees the game how I would like to if I was a manager, how I would like to play the game. "He's a possession-based manager. From the outside, it looks like he's just playing pointless passes. But when you're actually inside it, you understand every pass that you make is key. "So, yeah, that was the main pull. But I've said it before, it's more what he is as a guy, that you want to come work for him, not just the stuff he does on the pitch. " Rothwell spent his entire youth career at Manchester United, but left in 2016 after failing to break into the first team. And he says that setback pushed him to return to a "huge club". "Leaving was never easy, " he said of his Old Trafford exit. "I was there for 15-odd years, so having to leave was tough, but I knew it was the right thing to do for my own career. "A big drive for me was to get back there and obviously try and play for a massive club again. And I feel like this is a club that I can. They are a huge club. " Rothwell also says the vision outlined by Martin and the club's new American owners convinced him that Ibrox was the right option at this stage of his career. "They spoke to me about where they see the club going and what they want to achieve and I wanted to be a part of that, " Rothwell said. "There was interest from elsewhere, but as soon as I knew that Rangers had come calling, it was wanting to go back to that big-club mentality. "They fit the bill for me and obviously the manager coming in and getting the job, it was a no-brainer for me. " Visit our Rangers page for all the latest news, analysis and fan views Get Rangers news notifications in the BBC Sport app Wimbledon 2025 - follow all the action with our live text England v India: Day three of second Test - live text Mourners gather for Diogo Jota's public wake in Portugal Robin Williams' life and career through ten crucial photographs Pink Floyd's David Gilmour shares his Desert Island Discs A purr-fect short history of cats on film The American War of Independence revisited, 250 years on 'Aberdeen savour the most perfect game ever played' How Mc Tominay became a Napoli icon after Man Utd exit Scotland men's internationals to be shown live on BBC Commonwealth Games: Why is it so special to be part of Team Scotland? From titles to tinpottery - rank Scotland's top 10 clubs 'A symbol of hope & inspiration - Jota was a Portuguese hero' Why have record number of seeded players lost at Wimbledon? Jota's final goal for Liverpool wins Merseyside derby. Video Jota's final goal for Liverpool wins Merseyside derby 'That was the best Raducanu has played since 2021 US Open win' Video'That was the best Raducanu has played since 2021 US Open win' How is Arsenal's attacking refresh shaping up? 'It's movie stuff' - Dutch-born Holland to make All Blacks debut Kookaburra conundrum - can county cricket have too many runs? Is it conceivable that Mercedes could drop Russell for Verstappen? Meet the only English manager at the Euros 'I can't hear it' - Wimbledon's first day of electronic calling Have we watched Messi's final game on global stage? Verstappen, Russell and Mercedes - what factors are at play? Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.